PrepTest 146, Section 3, Question 6
The decisions that one makes can profoundly affect(46 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(12 more words not shown)
- AOne should not(21 more words not shown)
- BOne should not(14 more words not shown)
- COne should not(11 more words not shown)
- DPeople who regret(13 more words not shown)
- EPeople with few(9 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
What if someone's regrets concern the relationships they never formed? A person who feels lonely might wish they had taken a different path. That makes me pause at the broad advice that nobody should regret missed opportunities.
But follow the reason the author actually gives. Taking a different opportunity would have meant losing some of the close relationships one has now, and the passage says people cherish those relationships. On that account, a choice that looks like a missed opportunity also helped make something valued possible.
What we’re looking for
The question asks for a principle supporting the advice. We need a connection between that valued result and not regretting the earlier choice. My prediction is a rule saying that a decision shouldn't be regretted if it helped bring about something we cherish. That would support the argument's reasoning about the relationships, even if we still have questions about applying the advice to every person's life.
Working the answers
- A
This rule turns on whether a different decision would have produced a greater number of close relationships. We don't know that. A different path might cost someone some current friends while bringing many new friends. The author's evidence concerns cherishing particular relationships, not comparing the total number under two different lives. A doesn't establish the needed condition for withholding regret.
- BCorrect
The decision helped bring about something cherished: the close relationships the person currently has. B says that is a reason not to regret making the decision. It connects the author's evidence about a valued consequence with the advice about regret.
- C
The argument doesn't say these decisions had little effect. It starts by emphasizing that choices can affect life years later, then points to relationships that would have been different. C offers a reason for not regretting an inconsequential choice, which isn't the reasoning here.
- D
This tells regretful people to cherish their relationships more. It doesn't establish that someone who already cherishes those relationships should not regret an earlier choice. The author needs a rule about regret based on the stated affection, not a recommendation to increase the affection.
- E
This also gives advice about cherishing relationships, now to people who have few of them. The argument already says people cherish their close relationships. We need to connect that fact with the judgment about past decisions; E leaves that connection unstated.
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